America is known as the melting pot of the world, a place where people from any part of the world who wishes to get equal opportunities in life go to. In a land where peole are recognized for what they can do, people have flocked and continue to migrate to America to get a taste of freedom to do whatever one wants and be successful in whichever way one wants to be. Truly, these promises of the United States had people dreaming of getting there someday and see what the most progressive country in the world has to offer.
In today’s highly globalized world, this opportunity has been felt and enjoyed by many. In particular, students who wish to pursue a higher quality of education are given the opportunity to do so through various educational exchange programs that aim to promote better global relationship and the free flow and exchange of ideas. Although most of these students are after the pursuit of higher education, a great number of a much younger ones was also observed to participate in the exchange programs, either to get an early headstart to the challenging process of pursuing tertiary education, or to basically learn languages and culture and develop a much broader perspective in life. Despite this being the trend, it is not easy for the students to adjust to several things that they are relatively not familiar with. This presents some serious problems in the long run which prevents them from doing well in school the way they initially set out to do. In addition to the difficulties of adjusting is the persistent and far more debilitating problem caused by stereotyping and racism towards members of ethnic minority groups in America.
The advent of globalization has opened various doors of opportunity for people from different parts of the world. If anything, this phenomenon has put together people and nations closer to each other. Generally, the student exchange programs that most high shool students participate in are organized to further the diplomatic and foreign policy goals through positive academic and social experiences (as cited in Ileleji 340. This primarily eplains why there has been an influx of students who go out of their countries to pursue studies somewhere else, with the United States of America, Europe, Switzerland, and Australia as some of the most famous destinations. With such demands for young people to become “world citizens” (as cited in Ileleji 34), the necessity of being educated in countries other than your origin is brought to the fore. This is largely explained by the idea that although globalization has several positive influences on the lives of the people, it also caused greater competition in terms of job availability. As such, students should aim for more international experience, language skills development, and cross-cultural communication skills that will enable them to fare well in the global economy. The acquisition of one or more foreign languages, especially, play a crucial role for someone to be able to adapt to a globalised company where there is a possible conglomeration of foreign employees.
In addition to the valuable language skills, a better and deeper understanding of the different culture is also a valuale experience that would/could eventually come in handy in the workplace. In the same way, this understanding also brings certain changes and development in one’s character and personality, in the sense that learning about other people’s culture brings a deeper sense of understanding and acceptance of the differences that exist among people and the world at large. The world’s long history of war shows that it is in the differences that exist among each other that conflicts arise. The lack of understanding about these differences, which by nature is only natural due to several important factors such as geographical and cultural orientation, as well as the acceptance and tolerance of these differences, is like a slab of rock wedged between people, causing social distance that in effect weakens the already shaky relationship of several nations.
Despite the ideal gains that could be derived from studying abroad, the process proves to be treacherous and downright difficult for the students. On top of the seeming long list is the issue of being able to adjust to their new environment. The reason why other countries are called foreign is exactly because of that, it is foreign or new and is far from what one is used to. This is a legitimate issue as even more mature people find this process to be especially challenging. Another concern is the differences in language, which makes it difficult for students to communicate, much less establish new relationships with others. Several studies also identified students’ distress due to the lack of certainty towards cultural norms and language barrier (as cited in Heo and Lee 134). There is also the issue of food and the wide gap in cultural orientation, especially between the Western and the Asian culture. This is highlighted by results of several studies whic indicate that Asian international students find a lesser degree of satisfaction in their lives in the campus compared to their European and Latin American counterparts (as cited in Heo and Lee 134). Making firends, already hampered by language barrier, also brings to the surface the idea that international students are away from their friends and family, and are left with no choice but to deal with these changes as best they can on their own. As a result, students at times become lethargic as they fall into homesickness.
Inside the classroom, several differences can also be observed between and among different nations. As mentioned previously, language barrier may prove to be the biggest challenge, but apart from the language, international students also have to adjust and deal with the differences in terms of classroom culture. This includes, but is not limited to, the way students and teachers communicate with each other, methods in the delivery of lessons, how exams and exercises are administered, as well as expectations in terms of class requirements.
However, despite these various challenges, what proves to be extremely difficult to deal with for international students are the issues of racial stereotyping, prejudice, and racial discrimination. The healthy amount of literature available about this topic shows that it has become one social issue that has captured the interest of scholars. There is real problem in this situation, as race, stereotype, and discrimination are rather strong words that have their origin way back to earlier history. On the surface, these words remind one of images of chaos, a series of protests and arrests, of bloody wars, and a very long argument that spanned decades centered on its eradication. Some of these stereotypes that international students are being subjected to are mostly directed towards Asian students, such as being overachievers, nerdy, and uninterested in having fun (Heo and Lee 134). Although other stereotypes which should otherwise be taken positively, such as being good in math or science, or having high GPAs, have been negative connotations which are closely asscociated to being nerdy and overachievers. These stereotypes hamper students from adjusting to their new lives as international students as these cause unnecessary stress and in the process, prevent them from developing new relationships with their contemporaries or classmates.
These problems directly contradict the primary reasons that compel students to go outside their countries. Instead of gaining new understanding about other culturesand languages, they en up being isolated or are forced to bond with other students who also come from their own countries. This situation is another factor that, as shown in several studeis, gave way to another stereotype among Asian students, which states that they only hang out exclusively with those who are also Asians, if not with those who share the same nationality, like them. Westerners even criticize this behavior of Asians, saying that their way of life defeats their purpose of going out of their country, which was to learn English, first and foremost, as well as the cultures. In the thick of things, it is noe difficult to identify which caused what, as both sides present valid arguments about the issue. However, the reality remains that stereotypes exist and they are strongly aimed at international students.
Such was also exhibited in the case of Ahmed Mohamed, published by CNN on September 16, 2015. According to the article, the young boy who dreamed of becoming an engineer, came to school really excited about showing his teacher the digital clock he was able to build using his pencil case. However, the praise and recognition he was hoping for did not come, as instead of a positive reception, his teacher called the police and had him arrested for allegedly bringing to school what they thought was a hoax bomb. For the young boy, the day went in a blur, as he found himself handcuffed and escorted by police officers off the school grounds to be brought to the police station. This image of him as was shown on media, so young and looking frail, wearing a NASA shirt, garnered much attention from the social media. People, both famous personalities and ordinary ones, have expressed their disapproval over this atrocity committed against a student whom the school and law enforcers should be protecting in the first place. What has gone wrong, as people would ask? Has paranoia gotten the best of people in authority? Was it the security system that is to blame?
In the police station, Ahmed was subjected to even more stress as police officers questioned him without a lawyer. He was only fourteen, who’s defense and only reply to their questions was that he brought to school a clock, because that was the only thing he did. People in social media were quick to point out the issue of racial discrimination, that because the boy was Muslim, he was profiled as a possible terrorist who can bring harm to the school and the general American populace. His father, a known politician in Sudan who ran for presidency twice, couldn’t be more surprised by the sight of seeing his son surrounded by police. Later on, he found out that Ahmed asked to be given a chance to phone his father but was denied because he was under arrest. Several more issues came up as the case became clear to the people, but nothing could be worse than subjecting a young, brilliant boy like Ahmed, who could have a promising career in the future, to unecessary stress and humiliation which undermined his ability to build something.
It was taking it too far, this obsession of the government over the fight against terrorism, as well as the people’s perceptions of the incident. What was clear was that Ahmed was targeted because he was not American. Others are saying that perhaps if it was a white boy who did, he would have been praised by the teachers. This incident only highlights the more serious problem that international students face in America. Despite the claims that racism and prejudice cease to exist in the American society, it is as real as it can get, as was proven by Ahmed’s case. Although some express disapproval, there are still those who promote these ideas, whether consciously or unknowingly.
Works Cited
Fantz, Ashley, Steve Almasy, and Anne Claire Stapleton. “Muslim teen Ahmed
Mohamed creates clock, shows teachers, gets arrested.” CNN International Edition 16 Sept 2015. Web. 17 Apr 2016.
Heo, Jinmoo and Youngkhill Lee. “I Don’t Want to Feel Like a Stranger”: Korean
Ileleji, Reiko Habuto. “Internationalization and Study Abroad Narrative Inquiry of Japanese
Female Exchange Students in the United States.” Journal of Curriculum Theorizing 25 (3). Web. 17 Apr 2016.
